Challenges
by Kris6
Summary: Set during 4x08, 'You Don't Want to Know'. What if Thirteen got Cuddy's panties instead of Cole? What would she do with them when she thinks that she is displaying signs of Huntington's? Why does her plan include Amber? 13/Amber
1. Making a Deal

**Challenges**

**Disclaimer**: I wish I owned them, but I don't. If I did you would be watching this rather than reading it.

**Summary**: Set during 4x08, 'You Don't Want to Know'. What if Thirteen got Cuddy's panties instead of Cole? What would she do with them when she thinks that she is displaying signs of Huntington's? Why does her plan include Amber?

**Pairing**: Thirteen/Amber. I know it's kind of weird for me because I am such a Thirteen/Cameron fan, but I just liked this idea.

**Spoilers**: Takes place during the season four episode _Whatever It Takes_. This story takes place solely during that timeframe.

**A/N**: I had this story in the works before _**Taking A Chance**_ ever came to be. I finally finished it after letting it sit around on my computer for nearly seven months.

**A/N2**: I always liked the 'Thong Challenge' and wanted to do a different take.

**A/N3**: This is only going to be a three-part story.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Chapter One- Making a Deal**

After Kutner leaves, House carefully eyes the four fellows before him, a grave expression on his face. "Bring me the thong of Lisa Cuddy," he instructs them, silently amused by their incredulous stares.

The others share a look, wondering if they are being toyed with by their boss…yet again. "Not kidding. Thong. Cuddy. Go," he instead barks at them, forcing them into action.

Thirteen, the first to stand, glances at him suspiciously before filing out behind the others. In the back of the room, they all pause to look at Foreman expectantly, hoping for him to tell them about the hidden camera that _**must**_ be somewhere in the room.

Instead, he barely glances up from the newspaper. "It's how I got hired," he insists seriously. Nodding dumbly, they walk out of the class into the hall. Thirteen shakes her head, hoping that, for the sake of her sanity, Foreman was bullshitting them. With a sigh, she joins the others in the hall only to hear them actually discussing the challenge.

"You're actually considering this?" She asks in utter disbelief, wondering how this can be at all looked at as a good idea. After a moment of getting no reply, she crosses her arms over her chest and looks at them sternly. "I'm not going for it. I don't think _**any**_ of us should."

At this, Amber walks over to her and places a hand on her arm. "If you want to stand on principle, I really respect you for it," she soberly informs the brunette, a small smile tugging on her lips.

In response, Thirteen uncrosses her arms, forcing Amber's hand to drop. As she prepares to point out the blonde's apparent _**lack **_of principles, Cole intervenes.

"It's childish, unprofessional, and inappropriate. The job is not worth it," he states diplomatically, trying to break up an impending catfight.

"Yeah," Taub agrees. "We should all beg off. Tell him we failed. No winners, no losers," he adds.

Everyone turns to Amber expectantly. "Fine," she sighs reluctantly with a roll of her eyes.

After a beat, Cole narrows his eyes at the blonde. "You're going to do it, aren't you?" He asks, merely voicing what the others were thinking. "Of course I'm going to do it," she scoffs at them stupidly before turning on her heel and leaving.

Thirteen watches the other doctors go off in their separate directions, finding herself torn as to how to proceed. She wouldn't put it past Taub to lie to cover his tracks, but she isn't sure about what Cole could be up to. Obviously Amber was off to get the dean's thong and Kutner was simply too wrapped up with the magician.

With a sigh, she turns to make her way to Cuddy's office to warn her of House's challenge and the impending panty raid of her coworkers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately for Thirteen and, in effect, Cuddy, the dean was out of her office. So, in an effort to at least make herself somewhat useful, she sets off to find Kutner and help him out with his patient. However, on her way, she spots Taub and Amber discussing an "alliance" in order to get Dr. Cuddy's thong and save themselves.

"What is this, an episode of _Big Brother_?" Thirteen mumbles bitterly to herself as she overhears Amber's plan of getting the dean's panties wet. She does, however, smirk as she watches the blonde shamelessly shove Taub so that he spills coffee on himself before Amber decides to suck up to Dr. Cuddy.

No longer willing to waste time, Thirteen stuffs her hands into her pockets before going to find Kutner and get to work.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Finn is being prepped for an MRI, Thirteen once again finds herself with a spare moment. So, she goes off to try and warn Dr. Cuddy once again before something gets in the way. Luckily, she is actually in her office doing paperwork. Before knocking, she notices a suspicious-looking Amber making her way to an empty exam room. She shakes the image from her head, not allowing it to distract her as she knocks on the door.

"Come in," Cuddy calls out to her. She enters the office looking somewhat unsure. "Thirteen," the older doctor greets warmly, "Something I can help you with?"

"Actually-" she begins before being cut off by the phone. Cuddy offers an apologetic half-smile before answering.

"Yes?…The nurse's station?…Did she say why?…Okay then…Thank you," she hangs up. After shooting a perplexed look towards her phone, she eyes her paperwork warily before making as if to stand. "Sorry about that. Apparently Amber needs me at the nurse's station," she sighs.

Thirteen finds herself suspicious immediately. "Actually, I can go see what Amber wants to save you the trip so you can finish your paperwork," she offers, knowing that the blonde must be up to something.

"That would be great," the other doctor sighs with a grateful smile as she resumes her work.

Quickly exiting the office, Thirteen glances around for any sign of the blonde as she heads over to the nurse's station. "Dr. Cuddy sent me to see what was going on," she tells the nurse behind the desk apprehensively. Before the nurse opens her mouth to reply, the overhead sprinklers turn on, almost instantly drenching anyone in the vicinity, including Thirteen.

Seconds later, Amber comes running towards them, taking a brief moment to smirk at the soaked brunette. "Where's Cuddy?" She asks the nurse irritably, seeing no sign of the dean.

Pointing, the nurse indicates Thirteen. "She sent her," the nurse explains. Amber glances at the other doctor only to be met by a stern glare.

"We need to talk," Thirteen growls as she grabs the blonde by the arm and drags her in the general direction of the locker rooms.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Seriously, what is your problem?" Amber snaps as she wrenches her arm away once they are in the locker room and clear of anyone who may be eavesdropping. Thirteen just stares at her with an obvious expression on her face. "Well?" She impatiently prompts.

"God Amber! What did you expect her to do when she got wet? Did you expect her to just be like, 'Fuck it' and take her panties off in the middle of the room and throw them to the side?" Thirteen asks calmly, but incredulously nonetheless, as she stands so close as to be dripping water on the blonde's shoes.

Struck by how obviously dumb the idea is now, Amber grins sheepishly. "No, I guess not," she smirks. Thirteen takes a moment to glare before turning to her locker to change into the dry set of clothes that she keeps just in case of, well…anything.

"Maybe you should actually think about what you're doing before going through with one of your plans," the brunette grumbles as she shrugs out of her lab coat. After she unclips her suspenders and is beginning to peel her wet shirt away from her body to pull it over her head, she feels the blonde's eyes still on her. "What?" She asks through the shirt presently covering her face, exasperation and trepidation seeping into her voice as she finishes getting the shirt off.

"Give me your panties," the other girls demands suddenly.

After several moments, Thirteen manages to remover her jaw from the locker room floor. Her face then takes on a dumbfounded expression, a girl not having been that blunt with her since high school. "Uh…Did you just-"

"No! Not like _**that**_," Amber yelps, pulling her gaze from the brunette's half naked chest back to her eyes. "Look, we're both smart women and we should work together to eliminate the competition and keep each other safe," she reasons.

Catching on to what Cutthroat Bitch was actually suggesting, Thirteen narrows her eyes. "Yeah, I'm going to work with someone who, just last week, happily declared that she hated me," she snarks as she pulls out a clean, dry black t-shirt and begins to unbutton her pants.

"Oh please. I didn't say that," Amber scoffs, casually waving off the accusation. She then sees the other girl staring at her with a quirked eyebrow and a ghost of a smirk crossing her face. "Okay, so I did. Big deal. It was way back in the beginning of last week. Let it go already. Come on, what do you say? Partners?" She asks with a grin.

Thirteen catches herself actually contemplating making a pact with the devil. "First of all: No," she responds irritably. "Secondly, I still wouldn't put it past you to throw me under the bus even if I _**did**_ agree to work with you. So, thanks but I'll pass. I'd rather abstain on principle and have you continue to mock me about having principles in the first place," she finishes, pulling on the pair of jeans from her locker.

"Hey! Where are you going?" The blonde asks as Thirteen grabs her still damp lab coat and begins walking off.

"Some of us _**actually**_ have work to do. This is still a hospital you know?" With that, the brunette stalks off to the MRI.

Amber takes a moment to glare at the space previously occupied by the other doctor before deciding to speak to Taub again and attempt to get Thirteen out of her hair for good this week.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since her encounter with the blonde doctor in the locker room, Thirteen has found herself even more on edge than usual. In her agitated state, she smacks a folder out of Kutner's hands before proceeding to bite his head off over it.

A welcome distraction comes in the form of Dr. Taub entering the room gloating as he shows off Cuddy's panties. Thirteen is understandably skeptical as she glances over to Amber, who refuses to meet her eyes.

However, the brunette gets a sort of perverse satisfaction when House argues the nature of the panties and goes on to humiliate the other woman. House and Kutner exit the office, taking a moment to leer at the blonde on their way out the door. They are soon followed by Taub and Foreman, thus leaving the two women alone in the room.

Thirteen smugly turns her attention to Amber. "So…" she trails off, offering an amused smirk at her colleague as she glances down suggestively towards the blonde's skirt.

Amber glares at the other woman. "Not a word," she growls menacingly before turning on her heel and stalking off.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of her shift, Thirteen is sitting on a bench in the locker room leaning her head down in her hands, cherishing a few precious minutes of peace. Unfortunately for her, this peace is short-lived as the door opens and Amber walks in.

"What a nightmare," the blonde groans as she throws open her locker.

The younger woman just quirk a brow at even being spoken to by the other woman. "Yeah," she agrees simply.

"Well, at least _**you **_didn't have your underwear flashed to the whole hospital," Amber grunts, making sure to slam as much stuff around in her locker as humanly possible.

"If I'd listened to you, then it _**would've **_been mine," the brunette mumbles almost inaudibly.

"What?" Amber snaps.

"Come on, it was only five people, not the whole hospital," Thirteen points out, rolling her eyes. "Besides, you only have yourself to blame," she adds.

"Yeah, well…" she trails off vaguely. Amber eyes the other woman briefly before offering a slight smile. "So, see you tomorrow then," she says before leaving.

The dark-haired doctor is mildly perplexed by the sudden attitude change in the other woman. However, she doesn't get much time to contemplate this as the locker room door swings open once more as none other than Lisa Cuddy enters.

"Hey," Thirteen greets the older doctor.

Cuddy turns and offers a small smile as a greeting. "How are you tonight?" She asks politely, briefly shuffling around in her locker.

"Dry," she responds with a smirk, eliciting a light chuckle from the other woman.

"Right. Have a good night Dr. Hadley," she says on her way out the door, finally leaving the young doctor alone again.

With a sigh, Thirteen stands to finally head off for her own apartment. A quick glance in the direction of Cuddy's locker gives the brunette pause as she notices that the locker is still slightly open. Standing up she approaches it, hesitating as she moves to close and lock it up. Giving in at the last moment, she opens it slightly and peeks into the small space, not holding any expectations of what she might find.

Her eyes widen slightly when she sees that the dean keeps a full change of clothes in her locker. She even blushes upon noticing a bra and thong in the back. Taking a deep breath, Thirteen weighs her options before making her decision.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Needless to say, the next day when House announces that the competition is off, Thirteen is more than relieved. She brushes off the look of disappointment on Cole's face, not even bothering to question it.

After the team breaks to try and fix their patient of the week, House calls Thirteen into his office, only to accuse her of having a medical problem of her own. Even if she did, she'd never tell him. Like he needs any extra ammo to use against her.

Once their little heart to heart is done with, she heads out in search of Amber, finding her loitering around Cuddy's office.

"Didn't you hear him say that the competition was on hold?" She asks the blonde rhetorically.

"Yeah 'on hold', _**not **_cancelled," Amber bitterly snaps back.

"Whatever," Thirteen mumbles before walking away, cursing herself for thinking that she could trust the other woman. Amber looks on curiously, feeling as though something is off with the brunette.

Stepping into the women's restroom, Thirteen breathes out a shuddering sigh as she locks herself in one of the stalls. Feeling the twitching in her hands, she looks down and attempts to shake the tremors out of them. It doesn't work.

"Damn," Thirteen whispers to herself. "It's really happening."

"What the hell are you doing in there?" The caustic tone of Amber's voice breaks the brunette out of her musings.

Thirteen unlatches the lock on the stall door and steps out to face the blonde woman. "If you had Cuddy's underwear and got immunity, would you put me up?" She questions the other woman, looking her dead in the eye.

Amber seems a little put off by the question, even more so by the inscrutable expression on the other woman's face. "I don't know," she says hesitantly.

"Amber…" Thirteen trails off, not believing her for one second.

"Fine, yes. Of course I would. I'd be stupid not to put you up. You're my only _**real**_ competition," she relents after a moment.

"Good," Thirteen replies simply as she reaches into one of the pockets in her lab coat. She pulls out a red thong and forces it into Amber's hands before walking out.

Amber stands there stunned for a moment before following the brunette into the hall. "Wait!" She calls, but Thirteen ignores her and continues on. "Dr. Hadley!"

Thirteen actually stops and turns around to face the other woman. "How did you know-"

"How did you get these from Cuddy? Did you actually…" Amber interrupts, only to trail off at the end, unable to ask the question that she desperately wants an answer to.

"No, I didn't sleep with her. I stole them from her locker," she confesses, ashamed of her actions.

"Then why didn't you give them to House earlier? And why give them to me, of all people?" Amber questions further, relieved to find that the brunette didn't sleep with the dean.

"Does it matter?" Hadley sighs tiredly, itching to tell the blonde everything.

"No. I guess not," Amber responds quietly, wanting to interrogate the younger doctor but unsure of how to do so.

"Just…promise that you'll put me up. Make it against someone good too, like Cole. Force House to get rid of me," Thirteen says seriously.

"Okay," the blonde agrees, unable to find the words to question why she is so willing to go.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Please tell me what you think about this story because I am not entirely sure how well I got the characters. This was, originally, my first _House, MD_ fic before I got caught up in _**Taking A Chance**_.

The next chapter of this will be posted when I update **_Taking Risks... _**and **_Taking the Long Way_**, probably this weekend…I like keeping whoever is reading this in suspense…even if this is one of my crappier stories.


	2. Something to Think About

**A/N**: This is a shortest chapter and I'm sorry. I had to end it where I did or else the chapter breaks would be too weird.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Chapter Two- Something to Think About**

Back in the Diagnostics Office, the six doctors are settling back into place, ready for another round of diagnosing the magician.

Amber is the last one to enter. She approaches House smugly before tossing a red thong on the table in front of him. He glances at them skeptically.

"They're Cuddy's," Amber confirms.

"Pull down your pants," he orders, not convinced. Amber rolls her eyes, but lifts her shirt and pushes her pants down just enough to reveal that she is, in fact, wearing panties.

"Happy?" She asks condescendingly.

"Getting there," House smirks. "Thirteen?" He questions, shooting her a pointed look, glancing down towards her lap.

Hadley at least has the decency to look appalled at the suggestion. "Those aren't _**my**_ panties," she honestly replies, not willing to pull down her pants to prove a point.

House takes a moment to scrutinize the brunette. "Of course not. You aren't wearing a red bra today and, besides, like you would ever cooperate with CB," he smirks, glancing between the pair.

"Do you believe me now?" Amber asks impatiently.

"No," House replies before turning back to the rest of the team. "So, Kutner and Taub, go check the patient's home for anything important. Foreman and Kutner, check for signs of infection, heart problems, anything that could account for his symptoms. Thirteen, my office," he orders before going to check the patient himself.

The group scatters to where they are needed. In his office, House proceeds to accuse Thirteen of hiding a medical condition, that she readily denies before making a quick exit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On his way to pick up more Vicodin, House spots Cuddy standing at the Nurse's Station, chatting with one of the nurses. Deciding to try a little experiment, he throws his bottle of pills just in front of her. Cuddy turns to face him and he plays the 'cripple card' by attempting to pick them up himself, looking pained to do so.

"I got it," she tells him irritably, bending down to pick up the bottle of pills from the floor.

House's eyes grow wide as he watches her do so. "Oh. My. _**God**_," he blurts out. "You're not wearing underwear!" He finishes loudly.

Cuddy glares at him in embarrassment. "Of course I'm-"

"Skirt that tight, you've got no secrets. Skirt that tight, I can tell if you've got an IUD," he shamelessly informs her. "Have you seen Amber lately?"

"No," Cuddy snaps.

"You're blushing," he smirks at her.

"I am not," she all but growls.

"Look at me," House orders. The pair make eye contact as he takes his pills. "Oh. My God!" He exclaims once more as she walks off.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How'd you do it?" House asks as he follows Amber into the elevator.

"What?" She questions in confusion.

"Get Cuddy's thong. What horrors did you have to face? I bet it was horrible," he visibly shudders at the thought.

"I guess you finally realized that I wasn't lying," Amber replies smugly as they exit the elevator and begin walking towards the office.

"He passed out. Ultrasound revealed bleeding around his heart, we drained 100 CC's before it stopped," Thirteen updates the pair as they come off of the elevator.

"The antibiotics aren't working. It's obviously not tularaemia or any other infection," Kutner is quick to add.

"Excuse me, we were talking," House butts in, wanting to get back to the topic of Cuddy's panties.

"Bleeding around the heart could mean botched biopsy, when Cole was looking for the…" Taub begins.

"Why would you accuse the woman who decides your fate of screwing up?

House asks, effectively ending Taub's sentence.

"Those really were her panties?" The short doctor inquires skeptically.

"Cutthroat Bitch has traveled through the forest of crustaceans and brought us a treasure, and she has earned her reward," is what he offers as an answer.

"So, I can pick anyone?" Amber asks the older man, casting a curious glance towards Thirteen, who's mind seems elsewhere.

"You can use any criteria you want," House confirms. "So, any thoughts on our magician?" He asks the rest of the team.

"Could be a clotting issue," Thirteen helpfully supplies.

While the rest of them are batting around ideas, Amber discreetly keeps her attention on the other woman. She watches as Thirteen's hands shake violently as she attempts to cap a pen. Amber notices the torn expression on the brunette's face when she manages to get the cap on, removing her attention when Hadley looks back up. House witnesses the entire interaction.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, you decided who you're putting up yet?" Kutner asks Amber as they sit in the Doctor's Lounge.

"Maybe," she vaguely replies.

"You'd be stupid to put me up. I mean, I'm not exactly competition," he informs her easily.

"Yeah, but you're also a liability. You caught a patient on fire your first week here," Amber is kind enough to point out.

"Keeping me around just increases the likelihood of you getting the fellowship," Kutner replies.

Amber just stares blankly at the other man, caught off guard by his insight.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm going to cut to the chase here. I know you're not going to respond well to groveling…but how about bribery?" Taub questions Amber as they are working in the lab, going over test results.

Amber pauses to look over at the balding former plastic surgeon. "What did you have in mind?" She asks, moderately interested.

"Well, I figured that you, like most anyone else, would respond to cash," he smirks.

"How much?" Amber replies, knowing that he is also a bit of competition for the fellowship. Taub grabs a scrap piece of paper and scribbles a number down on it before passing it to her. She arches an impressed eyebrow at the number. "I think I can live with that," she smirks.

Taub offers a smug grin. "All I can say is that I'm glad Thirteen didn't end up with the thong," he sighs in relief.

"Why's that?" The blonde asks, trying not to appear too interested in his opinion.

"Are you kidding?" Taub asks her with a chuckle. She gives him a blank stare. "She would nominate people based on how much they deserve to be here…and she wouldn't respond to bribes," he elaborates.

"What makes you think she'd nominate you?" Amber asks, no longer bothering to hide her interest. "I would think that I'd be at the top of that list."

Taub snorts. "Thirteen doesn't make _**anything **_personal. She'd want to keep you and Cole. Kutner is a screw up and I am a former plastic surgeon that threw away his career. She _**respects **_you because you're a good doctor whereas you _**resent **_her because she's a good doctor. It's one of the biggest differences between you two," he explains himself.

"I never though of it like that," the blonde mumbles, mostly to herself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thirteen is in an empty exam room with House after just giving him a blood transfusion with, possibly, tainted blood.

"Pretty young to have a dead mom. You were even younger 20 years ago. I googled her obituary. Said she died at Newhaven Presbyterian after a long illness. Parkinson's?," House notes to the other doctor's back.

Hadley walks over from the counter and takes a seat on a stool in front of him. "Huntington's Chorea," she quietly admits.

"I'm sorry," House genuinely apologizes.

"It doesn't matter. After this case, I'm dropping out of the running for the fellowship," she brushes it all off.

"No you're not," House corrects stubbornly.

"You don't want a doctor on your team who's slowly losing control of her body and mind," the brunette argues, wondering why he is pushing this.

"Huntington's isn't the only thing that causes tremors,' he carefully states, knowing that what he is about to tell her is likely to set the other woman off.

"You think it's just a coincidence?" Is the skeptical reply.

"I think you're the only one on the team who drinks decaf. I've been switching it out with regular ever since you dropped that file. You're trembling because you're hopped up on caffeine. The first file wasn't my fault. Medical explanation for that is... People drop things," House shrugs nonchalantly

"I've been walking around thinking I'm dying," Hadley growls out at him.

"You are," he confirms with a nod.

"You don't know that!"

"With Huntington's, it's inevitable."

"No. _**You **_don't know because _**I **_don't know!" Thirteen forcefully informs him.

"How could you not get tested? If your mom had it, it's a 50 percent chance, you're a bomb waiting to explode," he incredulously muses.

"Not knowing makes me do things I think I'm scared to do, take flying lessons, climb Kilimanjaro…work for you," Hadley says. _I can't believe I just handing over my fate to Amber like that. I wish I had known…I never would've stolen it in the first place._

"Yeah because if you knew, you couldn't do any of those things," House sarcastically snipes. "What?" He asks a second later when he notices a strange look on the other woman's face.

Thirteen ignores his tone. "You're sweating," she points out as she feels his forehead. "You're sweating. House, you're sick," she says, effectively ending their conversation.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't need a biopsy. This is only because I've had three blood transfusions in less than a decade. I'll be fine," House brushes off the others' concerns as he takes a sip of his tea.

"Are you sure because you don't look so good?" Kutner notes as he takes in how he looks like he's sweating and his face is pale.

House stands and approaches his desk. "I think…someone…drugged my…" he stammers and trails off, looking into his cup before collapsing.

"Well, this is just great," Amber scoffs as they all stand around their unconscious boss.

"You know, since he's unconscious, we might as well do the biopsies on him anyways," Taub suggests.

"Kutner, go get a wheelchair and we'll get him into one of the exam rooms," Thirteen instructs after taking a moment to think it over. Amber watches the brunette carefully, noticing the small ghost of a smirk briefly cross her face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After this, there is one more chapter. I'll probably post it before I update _**Taking the Long Way**_ and _**Taking Risks and Tempting Fate**_. I just have to revise it some.

Tell me that you think. I live off reviews.


	3. Decisions, Decisions

**A/N**: Yeah, I figured that I might as well just put the last chapter up. I don't know how long it will be until I get to updating **_Taking the Long Way_** and _**Taking Risks…**_, so I decided to just go ahead and finish this up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Chapter Three- Decisions, Decisions**

"I can't believe you drugged him," Thirteen mumbles the accusation from her side of the table in the exam room.

"You think _**I **_did this?"

"He does have that charming little nickname for you…Cutthroat Bitch," the brunette smirks.

"Well, _**you're**_ the only person not expecting to be here next week. You might have been the one to do it," Amber accuses.

"Yeah, well…" Thirteen trails off vaguely, not sure where she intended that sentence to go.

"Is everything okay?" Amber asks as they take a biopsy of one of House's lungs.

Hadley doesn't bother glancing up at the other doctor. "Why wouldn't it be?" She attempts to sound nonchalant and distracted, not wanting to sound as anxious as she feels.

"Once they found out that I am going to be nominating one of them, everyone approached me about it. Except for Cole…and you of course," Amber adds the last part in an obvious tone of voice.

"I'm sure you're loving the attention," Thirteen smirks as she carefully puts up the sample before going back to House's unconscious body.

"Taub offered me a bribe to keep him in."

"Did you take it?" The brunette asks, already having a feeling that she knows the answer.

"I told him that he'd find out when it's time for the nominations."

"So you're going to let him sweat a little," she concludes with a nod.

"Would you put him up?" Amber questions after a moment, testing Taub's theory.

"Yes," the other woman replies without a moment of hesitation.

"Even if he offered you a _**lot**_ of money to keep him here?" The blonde tries again.

"Yes," the other woman confirms.

This gives Amber pause. "Why?"

At the question, Hadley actually stops what she's doing to look up at the blonde. "Because he was a successful plastic surgeon that threw away his career for a piece of ass. Taub is only here because he doesn't want his wife to find out he cheated on her. He isn't doing it because he cares about his patients…he's doing it because he cares about his reputation," she explains easily.

"Taub told me that you'd say that. Not verbatim of course…but he was right," Amber smirks.

"Yeah, I know. This is the part where you call me an idiot or sarcastically tell me that you respect me," Thirteen snorts in response.

"Who would _**you**_ put up if you were in my position…not including yourself?"

"Taub and Kutner."

"But Kutner isn't competition," Amber argues.

"I know…that's why I'd nominate him. He is more of a liability than an asset. I wouldn't want to end up working with weak doctors."

"I don't get it," Amber grumbles out as she stares at the younger woman.

"What's not to get? Weak doctors don't save lives," Thirteen explains as she works on getting a kidney biopsy.

"Not that. I don't get how you can be so selfless with this. This is a cutthroat competition and being fair and keeping people around because you think they deserve to be here is no way to win the game," Amber finally snaps at the other woman.

"We all play the game differently Amber. You can keep Kutner and Taub for all I care. At this point, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Thirteen shrugs.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get out of here?"

The brunette pauses and takes a moment to decide whether to tell her the truth or not. "When I was eight, my mom died of Huntington's Chorea. Recently, I have been displaying some of the symptoms and I thought that I had it too," she quietly informs the other doctor.

"I'm sorry," Amber genuinely expresses her concern.

Thirteen just shrugs it off. "It turns out that House just switched my coffee to regular instead of decaf. He made me panic over nothing. But, I had already told you to give me the boot and what's done is done," she finishes indifferently.

Amber mulls this over for several minutes. "I have a question."

Hadley arches an inquisitive eyebrow. "Okay."

"You said you would nominate Taub and Kutner. Why wouldn't you nominate me?"

"Why would I?"

"Because I have been a super-bitch to you these last few months," Amber replies obviously.

"That doesn't make you a bad doctor. I mean, yeah, it kind of sucks, but this isn't about whether or not someone's a bitch, it's about saving lives. You don't have to be my best friend for me to respect you," she shrugs in response.

"You're disgustingly nice. Do you know that? I mean, you sounding so selfless makes me want to talk to the Pope about having you officially turned into a Saint," Amber snarks…without her usual dose of disgust.

"Canonized," Hadley replies. Amber gives her an odd look. "Being 'turned into a Saint' is called 'canonization," she explains.

"Whatever Saint Thirteen," Amber smirks, earning a chuckle from the other woman. House interrupts their banter with a groan. "Why don't you do the liver sample and I'll run some stains?" She suggests quickly.

"But you barely even helped," Hadley grumbles at the other woman.

"He'll be less of an ass to you though," Amber points out.

"Fine. Go. I'll be there shortly with the liver sample," she waves the blonde off. Amber flees just in time for House to moan again as he begins to wake up.

Thirteen takes a step back to take a sip of her water as he begins to drift back into consciousness. "Patient dead yet?" House questions weakly.

"No," is all the brunette offers in response as she watches him struggle on the table.

"This is a little much for a first date, don't you think?" The older doctor asks, glancing down at his restraints.

"Obviously you've never dated me," Thirteen deadpans as she makes her way back over to the prone man. From the doorway, Amber fights back a laugh as she observes the other woman with House. She decided to stick around and watch the brunette in action before heading to the lab.

"Feels like you already got the…lung and kidney samples," House grumbles as he takes stock of how he feels.

"Now I just need a piece of your liver," Hadley states as she grabs a hold of the needle she will be using to get the sample.

"Hey, you might want to use a little bit of lidocaine-"

"Oops. I forgot," Thirteen interrupts, clearly not having used it to make him feel some pain as she pushes the needle into the other man. "Slight pinch," she warns after the fact as she hears the older man groan in pain.

From just outside of the doorway, Amber bites her lip to choke back another laugh at the other woman's treatment of the older man. In the back of her mind, she thinks that maybe he deserves it for leading the brunette to believe that she was dying.

After removing the needle and recovering from the pain, house shoots a glare at his assailant. "You drugged me," he accuses her, knowing that she has the biggest motive to do so: revenge.

"You drugged me first," Hadley retorts, trying to hold back a smile, as she confirms his suspicion. She begins to untie him.

_I knew it was her!_ Amber congratulates herself on pegging the younger woman as the one to put House down so they can run the biopsies. A part of herself is impressed that the other woman would have had the balls to do it in the first place. The blonde is too lost in thought that she doesn't notice Thirteen headed out of the room until it's too late.

"How much of that did you hear?" Hadley nonchalantly questions the other woman as she exits the room, liver sample in hand.

"What? Nothing. I was just passing by to see if you still needed help. I guess not," Amber attempts to cover her eavesdropping.

"Uh huh," the unconvinced brunette responds. "You do realize that you're a horrible liar, right?" She inquires rhetorically.

"And you are a good one. I didn't think you'd be the one to drug him," Amber informs the brunette, not even bothering to try and convince the other woman that she wasn't listening in.

"He started it," Thirteen shrugs with a smirk as the pair make their way to the lab.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As it turns out, after Finn's spleenectomy when he first arrived at the hospital, he was given a transfusion of the wrong blood type. So, lupus accounted for all of his symptoms. Once he was set up with the proper treatment, Foreman and the rest of the applicants are back in the classroom for eliminations. Thirteen simply fingers an envelop she found on her usual desk with her name printed on it.

House walks in the room with the stolen thong on a pillow. He approaches Amber. "Cutthroat Bitch, rise," he orders as he kneels down on one knee in front of her, raising the pillow up slightly. "Use the power wisely," he says sagely.

Amber picks the thong up off of the pillow with two fingers, a look of distaste marring her features. She doesn't want to think about what House may or may not have done with them. House stands back up and throws the pillow on the desk. Foreman merely rolls his eyes at the scene.

The blonde nervously takes her bottom lip between her teeth. "I nominate…Kutner," she slowly begins. Thirteen cocks her head to the side and gives the other woman an odd look.

"Kutner…rise," House orders, mildly shocked at the woman's sensible pick. "Don't be too surprised, you set people on fire and electrocute yourself," he snorts. "Next victim," he prompts, expecting to get a few good jokes into the brunette that drugged him and biopsied his liver without lidocaine.

The blonde glances over at the still-seated woman before turning her attention back to House. "Taub," she states simply before looking over at the stunned look on the dark-haired woman's face. She can't tell if the expression is relief, anger, confusion, or any combination of them.

"Now we're all surprised," House notes, effectively voicing everyone else's astonishment at her choices. "Why?"

"You said I didn't have to justify my picks?" Amber defends herself, not wanting to go into the details of how she came to her decisions. Hadley arches an eyebrow at her knowing that the other woman put up who she, herself, would have nominated.

"No, I said that you could use whatever criteria that you want. That doesn't mean that I don't want to know how you came to this decision," House corrects her. "Kutner sets fire to patients and electrocutes himself. He'd probably end up burning down the hospital…all the more reason to keep him to further your own needs," he begins to tear down her choices.

"Maybe I'd rather not risk him setting fire to me during the next case," the blonde points out, hoping that it will satisfy the older man.

"Hey!" The man in question protests, not enjoying being the subject of their debate.

House nods in acceptance, ignoring the other man's indignant outburst.. "Then why Taub? I heard about his bribe and I find it very hard to believe that you grew a fancy new set of principles in the last two days," he further argues.

"Well, I…um…" Amber trails off, hoping that House will drop the subject because she isn't interested in sharing that she decided to adopt Thirteen's principles…at least for the day.

"Then why not Thirteen. She is at the top of my list to work for me and you already said that you hated her," the older man continues. House smirks at the light blush creeping up the blonde's face, knowing that he has found a way to get under the other woman's skin.

"Me? But I…" Thirteen trails off, not knowing how to phrase her question. She is just dumbfounded that he would feel that way after she drugged him and performed a deliberately painful biopsy…and that he admitted it out loud.

"Does it really matter?" The wary blonde questions House, her eyes shifting back over to the woman seated beside her.

Taking a moment to consider the two women, he seems to come to some sort of conclusion. "Taub and Kutner, sit down," he instructs. Amber feels a sense of dread overcoming her.

"But you said that-"

"Thirteen and Cutthroat Bitch," House calls out the two female doctors. "I have the feeling that CTB wasn't really the one to procure the thong," he states, a pointed look directed at the brunette. "It doesn't matter because you are both safe," he allows them to relax. All eyes turn to Cole.

"Hey! What did I do?" The dark-skinned man blurts, unsure why he is the one being singled out.

"Cuddy barged into my office earlier today to bitch about how one of my applicants tried to bribe her for her panties in exchange for rigging the nominations. She would have complied, but apparently someone else broke into her locker and stole her panties," House informs the group as to the goings-on he was involved in this morning.

"I didn't break into her locker," Cole tries to plead his case.

"I know you didn't, Thirteen did."

"Why would you think that Thirteen stole the panties? If she did, Amber wouldn't have been the one to give them to you," Foreman points out the flaw in House's logic.

"Judging by Thirteen's surprise at not being nominated, I'd guess that, in the face of Thirteen's impending demise, she'd have wanted to go tonight. She gave them to CTB to ensure her nomination," House deduces, quite accurately.

"So, uh…I'm confused," Kutner interjects.

"don't make me change my mind about you," House snaps at the other man. "Cole, you're fired."

"For what, doing what I can to get Cuddy's panties?" He questions in disbelief.

"The whole point was to subvert Cuddy, not try and negotiate with her. You're fired," he repeats himself before heading off to his office upstairs. Cole sits at his desk, stunned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thirteen is still a little worked up over House trying to force her Huntington's test results on her. As she makes her way down the hall towards the exit, she can't help but think that the last couple of days turned out pretty unexpected.

"Crazy day, huh?" Amber questions as she falls in step with the brunette.

Hadley, startled that she didn't hear the other woman's approach, just casts her a confused look. "Why didn't you nominate me?" She asks, not able to come up with a suitable reason why Amber wouldn't have.

Amber is taken aback by the blunt question. She takes a moment to try and decide how truthful to be. "I know this is going to sound incredibly trite, especially coming from me, but I really do respect you. I think you deserve more than being kicked out of the competition because of something you did in a moment of weakness. Maybe I am going to take a page out of your book and try and earn this position because I deserve it and not because I am just a cutthroat bitch," she earnestly explains herself.

"You're not jerking me around again are you? This isn't going to be like when you tried to freak me out by pretending that the patient I killed was haunting the hospital, is it?" Hadley wonders warily.

Amber rolls her eyes an smiles. "It's getting kind of late. Do you maybe want to go grab a bite to eat…with me?" She asks, cringing at her awkwardness. Thirteen considers the blonde for a moment and Amber picks up on her hesitation. "Better make it quick because I don't know how long this rare-giving mood of mine will last," she jokes half-heartedly.

"Sure, why not?" Thirteen shrugs. "I just need to stop by my locker first," she informs her.

"I'll wait for you outside Thirteen," Amber smiles despite her best efforts to keep it subdued.

Turning back around, Hadley offers a smirk. "You can just call me Remy," she says with a smile.

"Okay then, Remy, I'll meet you outside," Amber corrects herself and, for the first time since setting foot in the hospital, the blonde's mind is set on something else other than getting the position as one of Dr. House's fellows.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When I first started writing this story, I ended up stopping at somewhere halfway through this chapter. When I finally got around to finishing it, I don't know, it feels kind of weird. Maybe it's because I haven't had Amber to watch on _House_ so she feels a little out of character to me.

Also, I've been thinking about doing, like holiday-themed stories that would be, like, continuations of _**Ringing in the New Year**_. They would be Cadley, of course. Just a thought. Tell me what you think…the next one would be Valentine's Day-centric if you guys think it would be a good idea. I'll probably take this same poll when I update _**Taking Risks…**_ just so I can get a good idea if anyone wants to see that.


End file.
